Packaging for permitting customer inspection of product

ABSTRACT

A package that permits a user to examine a product stored, comprising an elongated sheet having a plurality of perforations attached to an open portion of at least one storage box. The plurality of perforations being spaced at equal intervals on the elongated sheet allows the user to inspect the product stored in the at least one storage box. The plurality of perforations in the package allows the user to see, touch and smell the product stored and allows easy air circulation within the storage box.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Technical Field of the Disclosure

The present embodiment relates in general to storage containers for storing articles. More particularly, the present embodiment relates to a package that allows a user to touch and examine the products stored in the storage container.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous types of storage containers are known in the art that are widely used in supermarkets and by wholesalers for storing and displaying of the items to be sold. These storage containers are mainly used to protect and display the items stored within it. Some of the storage containers may be often utilized to place fresh fruits and vegetables to maintain their quality and freshness. Many items purchased from supermarkets and wholesalers need to be inspected before being purchased. Fresh fruits and vegetables need to be examined before purchasing. Many of these storage containers are open to provide easy refrigeration and air flow. These containers enable the customers to examine the product for firmness, to smell the aroma of the fruit, and to visually inspect the product before purchasing. Most of these storage containers are packed in such a way to meet certain weight or volume requirements. As a customer checks different storage containers to select one that he or she prefers, some fruit may fall off a storage container or be displaced. Some customers may try to customize a storage container by picking the best pieces from different containers, leaving some of the remaining containers with product having total weight or volume measurements that do not meet the container specifications. In addition, clothing, such as men's shirts that are packaged in plastic bags, prevent the examination of the softness or texture of the fabric. Many other items such as cell phone covers, wallets, or women's purses may be packaged in boxes that will not allow the customer to examine the texture and feel of the product before purchasing.

For example, U. S. Pat. No. 4,556,147 issued to Magnussen on Dec. 3, 1985 discloses a fresh fruit package. The package includes a lower surface forming an upward, re-entrant recess, comprising a cup-shaped container to receive the fruit limiting its sideward movement relative to the container, and a locating structure in the container to engage the upper extent of the fruit, limiting its upward movement relative to the container. However, the fresh fruit package does not allow a person to touch or examine the freshness of the fruit stored in the package.

Another example includes U. S. Pat. No. 4,769,262 issued to Ferrar on Sep. 6, 1988 that provides a package for fresh fruit and vegetables. The packaging is made of a transparent film of a polymeric material. The film has a high rate of gas permeability and is impervious to the ingress of bacteria. However, the packaging is difficult to handle and does not allow the user to touch and examine the firmness or consistency the fruit and vegetables before purchasing.

Similarly, U. S. Pat. No. 6,527,121 issued to Flynn on Mar. 4, 2003 Describes packaging for displaying fruits or vegetables. The package comprises a reusable plastic food container, a lid for such container, and a layer of breathable transparent film. The clear breathable transparent film allows prospective customers to clearly view the product inside. The film also allows ethylene and other gases emitted from the fruits or vegetables contained therein to escape, thereby maintaining freshness. Even though the display package allows the customers to clearly view the product inside, it does not allow the user to touch, smell, or directly examine the fruits or vegetables stored therein.

Accordingly, there is a need for a package that would allow the customer to visually inspect the product and be able to touch, smell and examine its firmness or consistency. In particular, there is a continuing need for a package that would prevent the customer from displacing the products from the storage container. Such a package would not require store employees to rearrange individual products items within the container when they are moved by customers. Finally, such a package would benefit both the customer who can examine the product before purchasing to make a better decision about the merchandise and the merchant who will be faced with less labor costs and fewer returns. The present embodiment accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention is a package that permits a user to examine a product stored in at least one storage box and comprises an elongated sheet having a plurality of perforations attached to an open portion of an at least one storage box. The plurality of perforations are spaced at equal intervals on the elongated sheet to allow the user to inspect the product stored in the at least one storage box and allows easy air circulation within the storage box. The plurality of perforations is smaller in size than the size of the product stored to prevent the user from taking away the product from the at least one storage box, but allows for the user to rotate the product.

One objective of the invention is to provide a package that allows the user to examine the product stored before purchasing the product.

A second objective of the invention is to provide a package that allows the user to see, smell and touch the product stored therein.

A third objective of the invention is to provide a package that allows finger free access to the product without allowing the user to take away best product from the storage box.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a package that allows free air flow to keep the stored products like fruits/vegetables fresh.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a package that enables stacking of the storage box and easy transportation.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a package that prevents the picking of some product the user prefers from similar storage boxes, leaving some of the remaining storage boxes with weight and volume measurements that do not meet the box specifications or have inferior average quality.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention are described with specificity so as to make the present invention understandable to one of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to enhance their clarity and improve understanding of these various elements and embodiments of the invention, elements in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, elements that are known to be common and well understood to those in the industry are not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the various embodiments of the invention, thus the drawings are generalized in form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate the top views of various embodiments of a package for a storage box of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the perspective views of the package for the storage box with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the perspective views of the package for the storage box with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following discussion that addresses a number of embodiments and applications of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or only address one of the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described below. Finally, many of the steps are presented below in an order intended only as an exemplary embodiment. Unless logically required, no step should be assumed to be required earlier in the process than a later step simply because it is written first in this document.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate the top views of various embodiments of a package 100 for a storage box 106 (FIG. 4A) of the present invention. The package 100 permits a user to examine a product stored in the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A) without taking the product out. The package 100 comprises an elongated sheet 102 having a plurality of perforations 104 attached to an open portion of an at least one storage box 106 (FIG. 4A). The plurality of perforations 104 being spaced at equal intervals on the elongated sheet 102 to allow the user to inspect the product stored in the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A). The plurality of perforations 104 in the package 100 allows the user to see, touch, rotate, and smell the product stored and allows easy air circulation within the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A). The plurality of perforations 104 can be of any shape with the size of the plurality of perforations 104 being smaller than the size of the product stored so as to prevent the user from taking the product out. The package 100 is designed in such a way to allow free air flow from the sides of the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A) and does not interfere with stacking of the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A).

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the perspective views of the package 100 for the storage box 106 with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The package 100, for example, has tomatoes stored as shown in FIG. 4A. The package 100 having the plurality of perforations 104 allows the user to see, touch, rotate, and smell the tomatoes stored in the storage box 106. The package 100 being attached to the open portion of the storage box 106 secures the tomatoes inside the storage box 106. The plurality of perforations 104 is smaller in size than the size of the tomatoes stored and does not allow the user to take tomatoes out of the storage box 106 as shown in FIG. 4B. The plurality of perforations 104 allows finger free access to examine the freshness and firmness of the tomatoes stored and allows smelling them to check if they are rotten. The plurality of perforations 104 allows free air to flow from top and sides of the storage box 106 to keep the tomatoes fresh for a longer time.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the perspective views of the package 100 for the storage box with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The package 100 may be utilized for storing many articles of clothing such as men's clothing and many other items such as cell phones, wallets, women's purses, hand bags, and other consumer products for which touch and smell are relevant senses to be used in making the purchasing decision. The package 100 may be used for product examination through the plurality of perforations 104 without allowing the product to be taken out of the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A). For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the package 100, can be utilized for packaging any fabric material, such as men's clothing, for which buyers may want to check the texture of the material by touching the fabric. The plurality of perforations 104 allows the user to touch the fabric without taking the item out of the storage box 106 (FIG. 4A) as shown in FIG. 5B. The package 100 prevents the products from being displaced when a customer checks different boxes to pick the one he or she prefers. The present embodiment also prevents some users from picking the best product from different storage boxes, leaving some of the remaining storage boxes with weight, volume, or item count measurements that do not meet the box specifications. When the boxes are moved, the package 100 would keep all items in place thereby avoiding the labor cost associated with store employees re-arranging individual products that may be displaced.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departure from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments described therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the invention. For example, the package 100 may be utilized for storing a variety of articles, the elongated sheet 102 may be made of any desired material, and shape of the plurality of perforations 104 can be varied in accordance with the intended use. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. A package that permits a user to examine a product stored therein, the package comprising: an elongated sheet having a plurality of perforations attached to an open portion of a storage box, the plurality of perforations being spaced at equal intervals on the elongated sheet; whereby the plurality of perforations on the package allows the user to inspect the product stored in the storage box and allows easy air circulation within the storage box.
 2. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows the user to see, touch and smell the product stored in the storage box.
 3. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations can be of any desired shape.
 4. The package of claim 1 wherein the elongated sheet may be made of a flexible material.
 5. The package of claim 1 wherein the elongated sheet being attached to the open portion of the at least one storage box to secure the products inside the storage box.
 6. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations is smaller in size than the size of the product stored.
 7. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows finger free access to examine the product stored.
 8. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations does not allow the user from taking away the product stored in the at least one storage box.
 9. The package of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows free air to flow from top/sides of the at least one storage box.
 10. The package of claim 1 wherein the elongated sheet having the plurality of perforations allows stacking of the storage box.
 11. A cover for a storage box, comprising: an elongated sheet having a plurality of perforations spaced at equal intervals, the elongated sheet being secured to a top open portion of the storage box; whereby the plurality of perforations allows the user to see, touch, rotate, and smell the product without allowing the user to remove the product from the storage box.
 12. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations on the cover allows the user to examine the product stored in the storage box.
 13. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows easy air circulation within the storage box.
 14. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations can be of any desired shape.
 15. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the elongated sheet may be made of a flexible material.
 16. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations is smaller in size than the size of the product stored.
 17. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows finger free access to examine the product stored.
 18. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the elongated sheet having the plurality of perforations allows stacking of the storage box.
 19. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations prevents the user from displacing the product inside the storage box.
 20. The cover for the storage box of claim 1 wherein the plurality of perforations allows user to examine the product and reduces the probability of product returns. 